Microsoft Edge Beats Chrome, Firefox in Energy Consumption

Microsoft's new Edge browser isn't catching on with the masses like the company had hoped. It's not surprising consider the poor reputation Internet Explorer held for years. They're still trying, though, and their latest advertising tactic may prove to be a successful one.

Chrome users know how intensive the browser can be. Microsoft decided to use similar laptops to show how quickly Chrome can kill the battery, while also throwing Firefox and Opera in for a good measure. They conducted two tests using four identical laptops. The first test consisted of "normal" laptop use, while for the second test they played continuous HD video until the laptops died.

Unsurprisingly, Edge came out on top. In the second test, Microsoft Edge lasted 7:22:07, while Chrome was dead last with 4:19:50. Firefox and Opera were in the middle with 5:09:30 and 6:18:33, respectively. Yet the average power consumption for each browser based on "billions of data points of aggregated telemetry" (I'm not convinced those words mean anything) show that Firefox is actually right behind Edge in terms of efficiency.

What does all of this mean? Well, Chrome is a hog, which we knew. What it really means, though, is that you should be using Firefox. Kudos to Microsoft for making a power-efficient browser, but Edge still has a ways to go to compete with the big boys, with Mozilla Firefox has been a contender for years. If you want to save battery life, there's no reason to skip Firefox and go straight to Edge.

About The Author

Dylan Duarte is a freelance writer who's covered film, television, videogames, and of course tech! He's also an aspiring screenwriter and likes that watching movies is considered "work" because of it. You can follow him on twitter @dylanduarte, but be warned that it's mostly the nonsensical ramblings of a potty-mouth.